Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Responses to Supreme Court Rulings

The laws of
our land are catching up to the fundamental truth that millions of Americans
hold in our hearts: when all Americans are treated as equal, no matter who they
are or whom they love, we are all more free.

Washington Governor Jay InsleeI
could not be more proud and excited to see the U.S. Supreme Court take a
long overdue stand for equality, fairness and family. Marriage is for
two people in love and it is past time for our country to not just
recognize that, but honor it. Washington state is a leader in marriage
equality and today’s ruling means the benefits and recognition of
marriage offered to couples here in our state will be offered equally
across our nation. #loveislove#marriageequalityUS Senator Patty Murray

This
is a great day for the civil rights and marriage equality movement. Following
this good news, I’m going to work with the administration and my colleagues in
Congress to ensure that all the rights and federal benefits enjoyed by married
couples are provided to LGBT couples as quickly as possible, including to unite
bi-national LGBT couples who have been split apart by this discriminatory law.

This is a historic day for equal rights in our nation and in Washington state. Our state was a trailblazer in recognizing the right of same-sex
couples to marry and helped in setting the stage for this historic
ruling. All Washingtonians will receive the equal treatment they deserve
in the eyes of federal law for the first time. Our state’s same-sex
married couples will now get the same federal benefits and recognition
as heterosexual couples.

The
Court today affirmed what Washington voters already know, which is that all
loving couples deserve equal treatment under the law. This was the same
argument that I and 212 of my colleagues made when we submitted an amicus brief
to the Court when making our case that DOMA is unconstitutional. For married
gay and lesbian couples throughout the country, today’s ruling means that they
are now clearly eligible for all the federal protections and responsibilities
afforded to other married couples.

Even with these
rulings, significant work remains to ensure equal rights to the LGBT
community. Same-sex couples living in states that don’t recognize all
marriages still face uncertainty and discrimination. LGBT people can
still be denied work simply based on who they are. Bullying in our
schools is still a dangerous epidemic among youth who are or are
perceived to be LGBT, and homelessness and poverty rates are still
unacceptably high among LGBT people. The Supreme Court’s decisions
exhibit the tremendous progress we have made towards full equality, but
we must remain committed to doing all we can to make sure equal
opportunity and justice are realities for all Americans.

Today is a great day for marriage equality both in Washington state and across the country.

This ruling is vitally important to the people of Washington. Now that
Washington voters have approved same-sex marriage, couples in our state
could have found themselves in similar situations—being denied federal
benefits provided to other couples. It was important
that Washington’s voice be heard in this case.

King County Executive Dow Constantine

I am pleased and proud that the Supreme Court has officially
recognized the civil rights of same-sex couples, rights that Washington
State voters embraced last year. Being able to issue the first
marriage licenses to happy same-sex couples was one of the highlights
of my career. Thankfully, it appears that there will be many more such
joyful moments as our nation moves, sometimes slowly, sometimes quickly,
ever closer to the ideals announced at our founding. I am proud of King
County and Washington State for helping to nudge the nation toward
justice.